FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If you ask Mark Sanchez, the only reason Geno Smith is starting Thursday night is because of Sanchez’s injured shoulder.

Sanchez told NFL Network on the field at Gillette Stadium that, “I won the competition. There’s no doubt.”

According to Rich Eisen, Sanchez told him he is eager to be there for Smith, but is disappointed about his injury because he thought he won the starting job.

Sanchez also said the doctors who have examined his shoulder are “pleasantly surprised” by his progress and he is planning on rehabbing the shoulder instead of undergoing surgery at the moment. He hopes to “get back on the field” this season for the Jets.

According to a source, Sanchez has been seen by team physician Ken Montgomery and orthopedic surgeon James Andrews and had his MRI results examined by several other doctors. None have told Sanchez he needs surgery at the moment, the source said. The source said the Jets doctors and trainers believe Sanchez is “ahead of schedule” in his rehab.

Sanchez will try to rehab the shoulder and then reevaluate his options in a week or two. It is possible he will need surgery at some point, but that is not definite. Sanchez remains hopeful he won’t need surgery at all, the source said, even after the season.

Sanchez was injured Aug. 24 in the preseason game with the Giants. He has a separated shoulder and a partially torn labrum, according to a source. Sanchez would not confirm that to Eisen.

“I really can’t get into that part,” Sanchez said.

Even if Sanchez gets healthy, he may have played his final game for the Jets. The team is committed to Smith now, and unless he gets injured or plays absolutely awful it seems unlikely they would bench him in favor of Sanchez.

In all likelihood, the Jets will release Sanchez after the season, escaping the final three years of his contract. Sanchez carries a $13.1 million salary cap number in 2014 and the Jets would save $8.3 million by releasing him.

The question then becomes where does Sanchez go from there? Will another team give him a chance to start or is he destined to be a backup for the rest of his career?

“Would he have a market if terminated next offseason? I believe he would have one, due to the dearth of quarterbacks,” one league executive said. “Lets face it, the names in free agency next year, unless extensions are done, will be led by Jay Cutler and Josh Freeman, and I would assume Chicago would at least franchise Cutler. That leaves Freeman. Then in the market you have Sanchez competing versus a name like Chad Henne? It could be a better year in the draft at quarterback than this year, but with that said, I think he’d at least have a ‘come in and compete for a starters role’ chance.”

Sanchez will still only be 27 years old next season, but will be coming off this shoulder injury. The league executive said if Sanchez does wind up on season-ending injured reserve, teams around the league will be paying attention to how Sanchez reacts to that.

“I think the key would be if he goes to IR, will he stay around the program, with the team, help the QBs, be around the facility, rehab with the Jets medical staff, be there in the meetings?” the executive said. “Or, will he just disappear and go out to West Coast? If he does the latter, I think that will speak volumes.”